Page 47 of Memphis

“That doesn’t exactly come as a surprise.”

“Well, he had me look into him again a month or so ago.” Shep shrugged. “He didn’t really get into the why. He just told me to do it, so I did.”

“Still seems odd that he’d ask.” I thought for a moment, and then, I remembered all the times he was at the hospital with my mother. “Maybe Mom mentioned something to him.”

“Maybe so.”

“You find anything on the brother?”

“There is no brother.”

“You sure about that?”

“He’s got two sisters and a few cousins, but none of them have the name Vittorio.”

“Ah, damn.” My blood ran cold when I thought about Mom saying he gave her a bad feeling. There was no telling who the guy really was. “I need to know who this guy is, and I need to know now.”

“I’ve done all I can on my end. See if your mom can get me a picture. I can try and use it to figure out who he really is.”

“I’ll text her tonight.”

“Good deal. Just send it my way when you get it.”

“Will do.”

“You making it okay? You need anything else?”

“Nah, I’m good. Just trying to get used to being back home.” I wasn’t in the mood to talk about me, so I asked, “Any word on the Vipers?”

Shep glanced over at Ghost, and after exchanging an odd look, Shep answered, “We had a run-in with them the other night at the Vault, but it was dealt with.”

“What kind of run-in?”

“A couple of them managed to get through security and tried to rough up a couple of the girls. Star’s got a pretty nasty black eye, and Nikki punched one of them and broke her wrist.”

“Well, fuck.” Now, I knew why Dad was against having them come to the house. He had no business hiding that shit from me, and it pissed me the hell off. “I’m so sick of this bullshit!”

“It’s alright. We handled it.”

“That’s not the point!” I’d spent weeks feeling weak and inept, and hearing that my father had been keeping things from me only made me feel worse. I wanted to be back to my old self, and it infuriated me how long it was taking me to get back on my feet. I’d tried to hold it together, but I’d met my breaking point and couldn’t hold back any longer. “I had no idea it had even happened! I may not be able to walk or ride, but I’m still a fucking brother! I have a right to know what the hell is going on!”

“I get that this whole thing is tough on you, brother, but no one is trying to slight you. We just want you focusing on getting better,” Shep explained.

“You’re right. This shit is tough, and not knowing what’s really going on only makes it harder. So, stop with the holding back bullshit and tell me what the hell is going on.”

“Well, we did a real number on those two assholes. Hell, one of ‘em is gonna be walking sideways for the next three months, and the other is gonna be smelling through his ears,” Ghost chuckled. “So, we ain’t gotta worry about them coming back around any time soon.”

“And if they do?”

“We’ll deal with it.” Ghost looked me dead in the eye as he assured me, “We’ve got it under control. We’re keeping an eye on things.”

“Yeah, I keep hearing that.”

“Because it’s true,” Shep interjected. “So, stop worrying over stupid bullshit and focus on things here. You’ve got enough to handle.”

“Speaking of which...” Ghost motioned his head towards the kitchen with a smirk. “How are things going with the lil’ sis?”

“You know I might be stuck in this chair, but I can still kick your ass.”

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